When Cherry Garden at Mandarin Oriental underwent a revamp, I was excited as I was looking forward to the revamped menu. Don’t get me wrong, the food at Cherry Garden has been awesome but I was curious about the new items that Executive Chef Cheng Hon Chau has created.
The interior of the newly revamped Cherry Garden is now brighter and there is also a small private room for four available.
We started the night with one of the signature dish on the menu, The Crispy Wasabi Aoili Prawn. This was definitely a good way to start the night. The golden encased prawn was so fresh and juicy. Oh yes, that wasabi mayo was strong enough to let you taste it at the back of your tongue yet nothing too overwhelming. The touch of tobiko and basil seeds were brilliant as it added a textural bite to the dish. Mind you, this was only the starter!
One can never miss having some dim sum when you are at Cherry Garden. Executive Chef Cheng Hon Chau is afterall from Hong Kong, the land of dim sum! Some of the NEW dim sum items are Crystal Dumpling with Fresh Mushroom, Steamed Prawn Dumpling with Black Garlic and Pork Xiao Long Bao. While I like how thin the skin of the Xiao Long Bao was, my heart went all out for the Crystal Dumpling with Fresh Mushroom which has small diced carrots and such to give it a crunchy texture within that chewy translucent skin. So da yum can!!!! A live live must try!!!
Another highlight for me from the revamped menu was the Double-boiled Clear Soup with Sliced Abalone, Matsutake and Snow Fungus. While the soup was packed with flavours, it was still light on the palate and the ingredients were still so tender and tasty! Great care has been taken while sourcing for the ingredients! For example, the Matsutake Mushroom was from somewhere in Yunan that is 3000sqft above sea level! This soup was supposed to be nourishing and has beauty properties (提神养颜)! I finished every last drop of it and I bet my skin was super thankful for that. hahahaha
Besides the Steamed Red Garoupa served with Pickled Chillies, we had the Pan-Fried A4 Miyazaki Beef Sirloin with Cherry Garden’s Barbecue Sauce and Sauteed Vegetables. While my dining partners liked the touch of spiciness from the pickled chillies, I feel that the steamed red Garoupa was good on its own as it was so fresh and cooked just right!
The beef lover in me delighted at the sight of the lovely marbling from the A4 Miyazaki beef. Not only was it beautifully plated, the ginger with olive oil and onion purée was well balanced and added a different layer of flavour to the sweet homemade BBQ sauce and that melt-in-the-mouth Miyazaki beef!!
Friends who know me well, know that I am not a huge fan of rice dishes. But the Five Grain Fried Rice won my heart. The usage of 5 different types of grains (glutinous rice, brown rice, white rice, corn and wild Rice) was brilliant! There were different textures dancing in my mouth as I chewed. With every mouthful, it was also accompanied by a subtle smokiness from the wok. Five Grain Fried Rice was indeed a strong play on textural bite and it made all resistance so futile. Sorry diet plan, you gotta take another queue number!
Do remember to leave some space for desserts! Cherries in Nu er Hong and aged Kuei Hua Wine Cocktail Jelly with Lychee Sorbet has been one of the crowd pleaser since the first time I tried it. It was so refreshing that it can be a palate cleanser yet sweet enough to end the meal on a good note.
With every fulfilling meal, I have this habit of planning for the next visit with my loved ones. Seriously can’t wait to bring my parents here. If you are looking for a place to dine with your family or to impress your future in-laws, Cherry Garden would be one of the places that I would highly recommend. For those who have not visited Cherry Garden since its revamp, it is definitely a good excuse to be back to try some of the new items.
Cherry Garden
5 Raffles Avenue, Marina Square Singapore 039797
Tel: +65 6885 3500
Email: mosin-dining@mohg.com
Operating hours:
Weekday Lunch – 12 noon to 2:30pm
Weekend Dim Sum Buffet – 11am to 1pm / 1:30 to 3:30pm
Dinner – 6:30 to 10:30pm
Website
Facebook
Instagram
